


Childhood memories

by Pilux



Category: World of Warcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 23:41:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10774914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pilux/pseuds/Pilux
Summary: Khadgar reminiscing over the caretaker he had before going to Karazhan.





	Childhood memories

**Author's Note:**

> A shorter piece, based on a prompt suggestion of writing up a childhood memory.

   The Archmage had found a rare moment to lay down and relax. Closing his eyes briefly and sighing, he rummaged around in his bag and pulled out a small mechanical cricket.  Khadgar opened his eyes to inspect the dinged up item, holding it above him and he wistfully remembered days passed.   
  
   Khadgar had found a way to sneak into the restricted part of the library in Dalaran. Eagerly pawing through book after book, the hair on the back of his neck stood up on end as his eyes gobbled up runes and spells he didn’t comprehend. The young boy was careful to always put each tome back where he had found it, never leaving any laying around.  
There was one tome in particular that caught his eye; the binding looked bright and flashy despite being worn and old. He carefully pulled the heavy item off the shelf, and plopped it quietly on the floor.  There was a lock on the book; which made him all the more eager to discover its contents.  He knew a simple lock picking spell that he had picked up from another tome, and he strained his memory to cant the words.  He felt proud of himself when there was an audible ‘click’ of the lock, and heart pounding he grasped the cover to open the book.  
  
   He thought the ringing in his ears would never stop.  
  
   Strong hands were pulling him out of the rubble of scrolls and tomes as his head throbbed and the world spun around him. He had no idea what happened. The last thing he remembered was unlocking a tome….  
  
   “Tyr’s beard, Khadgar!” Guzbah hefted the young mage into his arms. “If you’re not falling into the well, you’re getting yourself blown up….!”  Khadgar grinned sheepishly, looking up at his mentor.  “No, don’t give me that grin. You are in trouble this time, and you’re not getting out of it.”  
  
   Guzbah had been true to his word; extra grueling tasks for the apprentice, and a late, cold supper.  He was banned from the library for a week ( a whole WEEK! What was he going to do in his free time, he had tried to argue), and had to go to extra behavioral sessions.  A dark cloud of gloom hung over Khadgar’s head as he regretted, but only slightly, getting caught. How was he supposed to know the book would be trapped? He didn’t know of any spells to detect such things!    
He trudged into  Guzbah’s study, smelling heavily of arcane waste residue. His Master had called him in, and Khadgar was sure he was in some form of trouble again.  
   “Khadgar, I know you. And I know you’re going to find a new way to sneak into places where you’re not meant to be. But I can’t always be there for you, to pull your bum out of book piles. Do you understand?”   
   “Yessir.” Khadgar glanced at the floor, drooping his shoulders a bit. There was a small pause as the older Mage studied his student.   
   “Which is why, I want you to have this.” He placed a small mechanical cricket on the desk in front of him, and Khadgar’s eyes lit up with curiosity.  
   “What is it?” He leaned over to get a better looked excitedly, and his master couldn’t help but smile.  
   “A cricket - a mechanical one, that is. You wind it up; here, let me show you…yes, like this…and you place it on an item. Like say, a tome or scroll that you think may have a spell attached to it. If the cricket wails? Don’t open the book. If it’s quiet? It’s safe to open. I can’t stop you from poking your nose in places it shouldn’t be. But I can at least stop you from getting _blown up.”_  
Khadgar beamed at the man, happily spewing his thank yous as he picked the cricket up to inspect himself.  
  
   A loud knock on the door startled the Archmage, breaking him away from his trip down memory lane.  
   “Archmage? One of the commanders has brought you some more tomes.” A muffled voice spoke outside his door. Sighing, Khadgar sat up and stretched, calling for the books to be brought in. He took a quick glance at the cricket in his hand, rubbing it gently with his thumb.  
   “…Back to work, old friend. You haven’t let me down yet.”


End file.
